•FM® mivtmmiGmu mmm joumnmi^. 



55 



ease though never cured was com- 

 pletely checked, and the usefulness of 

 the colony for the production of honey 

 preserved. One colony so fed, yielded, 

 notwithstanding the foul brood, twice 

 the average of the apiary. 



Another benefit of this feeding is, 

 that it practically prevents, I think, 

 the dissemination of the disease from 

 each colony. Taking advantage of 

 this discovery, after much considera- 

 tion I decided upon the following plan 

 of operation, as the best under all 

 circumstances : 



In the spring, about the middle of 

 May, feed each colony to be treated as 

 above indicated, then treat it as 

 healthy colonies are, until such time as 

 the brood to be reared from eggs just 

 laid will be of little use in the collec- 

 tion of the main honey crop — say 80 

 days before the probable close of the 

 flow from basswood ; then cage the 

 queen in the hive for three weeks, and 

 at the end of that time, move back the 

 hive, and place a clean hive furnished 

 with foundation on the old stand, and 

 run all the bees and the released queen 

 into it, remove the old combs and hive 

 to a safe place, and the work is done. 

 Of course, colonies may be treated in 

 the same manner during any other 

 sufficient honey-flow. 



This will serve to disclose the general 

 principles, but to every ingenious api- 

 arist who has several colonies to be 

 treated, modifications of the plan will 

 be suggested, which may be advanta- 

 geously adopted under certain circum- 

 stances. 



After the close of the honey season, 

 all curative operations must be sus- 

 pended, and any remaining diseased 

 colonies are to be marked for treat- 

 ment the ensuing season. It is to be 

 observed, however, that all colonies so 

 badly affected as to be materially 

 weakened in numbers, should not be 

 expected to winter successfully, and 

 should either be united or destroyed. 



CHARACTER AND INDICATION OF FOUL 

 BROOD. 



Now, at the risk of wearying, let me 

 say a few additional words as to the 

 character of the disease and the indi- 

 cations by which it may be best dis- 

 covered ; and let it be understood that 

 I state only conclusions from my own 

 experience and observation of the dis- 

 ease, as it has appeared in my own 

 apiarj'. Of course it is only an un- 

 mitigated ^evil, but if you should dis- 

 cover it among your bees, do not allow 

 yourself to become disconcerted. It 

 is not so black as painted. It takes 

 time for it to destroy a colony, and I 

 doubt if it would ever destroy a con- 

 ^siderable apiary in the absence of 

 gross neglect in guarding against its 

 dissemination. I have had probably 



100 colonies affected, almost all of 

 them becoming so through what was, 

 under the circumstances, gross neg- 

 lect, but I never saw any indications 

 that a health^' colony standing next to 

 a diseased one, was any more likely to 

 contract the disease than if it were 

 standing i-ods avv.ay. 



What is to be specially guarded 

 against, is allowing healthy colonies to 

 have combs or lioney from those tliat 

 are diseased. If one allow a colony to 

 struggle with the disease till it be- 

 comes weak, or is dead, robbing will 

 probably follow, and the contamina- 

 tion be carried to healthy hives ; but if 

 one is acquainted with the early symp- 

 toms, all that is easily avoidable. 



The difficulty heretofore has been 

 that the descriptions of it, which have 

 been made most prominent, are of it 

 as it appears in badly diseased colo- 

 nies. If one waits until he can smell 

 it in the apiary outside of the hives, 

 there will then be abundant cause for 

 alarm. Like some diseases which at 

 times afflict mankind, it seems to 

 arise, become malignant for a time, 

 then lose its vigor, and at last die out. 

 The character of the first indications 

 seems to depend upon the stage of the 

 disease in this respect, as well as upon 

 the extent of the inoculation. 



During the less malignant stages, 

 and perhaps on slight inoculation at 

 any stage, the first brood diseased 

 reaches the imago state, and does not 

 decompose, and the first that softens 

 entirely does not have the homogene- 

 ous viscid character that brood af- 

 fected later acquires. Then appears 

 the somewhat sunken, slightly-dark- 

 ened cappings over the brownish viscid 

 mass within, which dries and flattens 

 down a thick scale on the lower side 

 of the cell. Then after the diseased 

 cells become plentiful, on holding the 

 comb close to the nose, a slight but dis- 

 agreeable odor, like that of warm glue 

 of a poor qualitj-, is perceived. 



Generally, but not always, some of 

 the cappings of diseased cells are per- 

 forated. If a colony contract the dis- 

 ease from the plentiful feeding of honey 

 containing foul brood germs, most of 

 the diseased brood may not be capped 

 at all. In a diseased colony that has 

 passed the winter, the malady does not 

 generallj' reappear in the spring for a 

 month or more, after brood-rearing 

 begins, but is sure to appear at last, 

 and, as a rule, progresses more rapidly 

 than during the previous season. 



Thus much for the indications within 

 the hive ; but the careful apiarist will 

 be attentive to the external indications 

 also. Without other signs, if foul 

 brood is abroad, a lack of activity and 

 general prosperity in a colony should 

 prompt to closer scrutiny, and" if this 

 cue is acted uiJon, and care exercised. 



generally thr' disease need not beat- 

 tended by very disastrous results. 



I liavo already stated tlial often the 

 brood first attacked reaches the imago 

 state, and Iteconies so mature as to pre- 

 serve its shape and consistency. I 

 think that there can be no mistake 

 about tliis, for in several instances I 

 have correctly prognosticated the dis- 

 ease when no other phase of it was 

 present. The other phases followed 

 in time. These are carried out in front 

 of the hive. Mature bees also die of 

 the plague, and are carried out, so 

 that often, at certain stages, there is 

 an undue accumulation of the dead in 

 front of the hives of diseased colonies. 

 Often, too, mature bees, weakened and 

 unable to fly, are yet able to desert 

 their hives in considerable numbers, 

 and may be seen hopping away upon 

 the ground. 



If all of the foregoing indications 

 are looked for, and prompt action 

 taken where any of them appears, one 

 maj' feel reasonably safe without a 

 frequent general examination of the 

 brood-chambers of the apiary, ex- 

 pressly to search for signs of the dis- 

 ease. 



In conclusion, whether the disease 

 will die out of itself, I do not cer- 

 tainly know, but I know that it seems 

 to lose its vigor. I have treated none 

 the past season, but have three aflected 

 colonies on hand, which I am keeping 

 for study. Two of them certainly, and 

 all, probably, have had the disease for 

 more than a year. In two of them the 

 disease has made no apparent progress 

 the past year ; in the other, the pros- 

 perity of the colony has been some- 

 what aflected. 

 Lapeer, Mich. 



WINTERING-. 



Ho^v to Prepare Bees to Winter 

 Successfully. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY J. A. PEARCE. 



How shall we winter our bees ? This 

 question perhaps more than any other 

 just now, is beingaskedby bee-keepers 

 generally. It is the leading, unsolved 

 problem of the apiary. If honey is to 

 become a staple article of food, like 

 pork, patent flour, or beet-sugar, and 

 not the fitful thing it now is, we must 

 have better wintering of bees, and hold 

 our honey in, good, straight combs and 

 pails, and not try to throw it all on the 

 market at once. 



How can better wintering of bees be 

 attained ? It occurs to me something 

 like this : If bee-keepers would cease 

 for a time sending in their almost use- 

 less, big, honey reports, and in lieu of 



